Bracket Boy: The method behind the March Madness

Mike Scott/For The Star-LedgerThere's plenty of logic behind Bracket Boy's Final Four picks.

Readers are pesky. Apparently, it is not enough for Bracket Boy to tell them who will make the Final Four. They also want to know why our resident expert is picking those teams.

“Jeez,” BB said, “it’s like asking a gourmet chef to hand out copies of the recipes, too!”

But, with action really set to get under way Thursday, our resident bracketologist has decided to indulge his loyal readers and explain why Kentucky, Duke, Purdue and Pittsburgh are his picks to reach Houston:

East Region: KENTUCKY

Talk about under-seeded: Kentucky punished rival Florida in the SEC title game but wound up with just a No. 4 seed in the East. It doesn’t matter. Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones might be young, but the Wildcats are one of the most talented teams in the country — and they’re rolling. “I hope Newark watering holes stock up on Jim Beam, because the town is about to be painted blue,” BB said.

West Region: DUKE

No top team has an easier road than the Blue Devils, and history supports their quest to return to the big stage. Each of the last four seasons at least one team has been to back-to-back Final Fours. Why not the Blue Devils? They are experienced with seniors Nolan Smith, the ACC Player of the Year, and Kyle Singler. “Plus, the head coach with the funny last name has a pretty good track record,” BB said.

Southwest Region: PURDUE

Pur-who? Purdue, that’s who. The Southwest is the most competitive region, and Purdue is a tough, experienced team with the defense to slow down both top-seed Kansas and No. 2 Notre Dame. Remember the name JuJuan Johnson, a lanky, 6-10 forward with NBA potential. “Besides, it’s not March if I don’t pick a surprise team from Indiana!” BB said.

Southeast Region: PITTSBURGH

The best team in the season’s best conference. Could it be that simple? It is. Ohio State is the No. 1 overall seed for a reason, but what might Pittsburgh’s record be if it didn’t play in the rigors of the Big East? Ashton Gibbs can take over games, and the Panthers lead the nation in rebounding margin. “The Panthers have waited a long time for this moment, but it’ll be worth it,” BB said. “When they clip the nets in Houston.”

E-mail of the Day

As is the unfortunate case with most celebrities, people are fascinated with every detail of Bracket Boy’s personal life.

“There is one question that I’ve been wanting to ask,” writes a probing loyal reader named Tom Wagner of North Plainfield. “Now that you’re 10 years old, you’re starting to resemble a certain sports reporter at The Star-Ledger. So I ask, are you the illegitimate son of Tom Luicci?”

BB responds: “I have to say, Tom, this is one of the more ridiculous e-mails I’ve ever received. I mean, c’mon — Luicci is old enough to be my grandfather!”

And it wouldn’t be March without the Cinderella of Snark, “Diamond” David Schaefer of Livingston, weighing in.

“Bracketeering?” he writes. “One actually has to profit from that activity in order to be found guilty. That Kansas pick last year to win it all should have earned you a 10-year sentence of Ponzi tournament play with Madoff.”

BB responds: “Ah, yes, I remember Bernie. We let him run the office pool once. It was the weirdest thing, everybody thought they won but only the Wilpons got any money.”